I am a postdoctoral fellow with the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) Program at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. I work in the Civitello Lab, whose research spans multiple disciplines, including disease ecology, community ecology and biodiversity, consumer resource ecology, natural resource management, and theory. I am also a part of Levy Lab, which uses environmental microbiology and environmental epidemiology methods to address questions related to water, sanitation, and hygiene. My current projects are focused on characterizing the epidemiological impact of human-cattle hybrid schistosomes in Tanzania and elucidating patterns of diurnal variation of water quality indicators in the Chattahoochee River. In addition to my research, I developed and taught 'Parasites and Peoples: Can You Worm Your Way Out?', an upper-level parasitology and disease ecology course, at Morehouse College.

 

My dissertation examined the effects of temperature on Schistosoma mansoni, the causative agent of human intestinal schistosomiasis, and Biomphalaria glabrata, its intermediate snail host. I aimed to answer the following questions:

 

a) How does temperature impact parasite and snail life-history traits,

 

b) How does temperature impact the physiology and movement of parasite larval stages, and

 

c) How does temperature impact transmission dynamics at the population level?

 

In a separate project with the Harwood lab, I demonstrated that the concomitant use of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source tracking (MST) markers can better identify likely sources of fecal contamination and improve decision-making. I have also been involved in a variety of other projects including studies that generated a database of thermal performance curves for parasites and vectors, tested the effects of pesticides and resource availability on schistosomiasis dynamics, examined how thermal mismatches may predict infection prevalence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians, and explored links between emerging infectious diseases and global food production. To learn more, please visit my website.